The Initiation
by pay-your-hecking-taxes
Summary: (BOM Animorphs AU) When five teen age Mormon high school students find themselves face to face with a dying Andalite War Prince, they are swept up in an intergalactic war as humanity's only defense. Tasked with balancing their double lives, facing crises of personal and religious faith, morality and their own personal demons, they must rely on each other to see another day (1 of 3)
1. Vestige of normalcy

**March 24, Year 1**

Mathias Thomas squinted at the night sky.

The clouds were barely illuminated by the partially hidden moon. Sometimes Poptarts imagined himself sitting here many years into the past, when there was nothing but untouched nature. He'd seen stunning pictures of the night sky, in the wilderness, away from the bright lights and humdrum of modern life. He thinks it's the Milky Way in those pictures, but he isn't too sure. There was an awe-inspiring quality to space, but Poptarts can't quite figure out why. The allure of space, perhaps was the same as the great unexplored lands of the world, back in the olden times. It was simply the act of not knowing, of needing to know.

Street lights and storefronts lit the path home, the occasional car driving by as they shuttled their drivers to a good night's rest. The two boys had no problems and few fears about walking about the streets at night. After all, the two had lived here all their lives and knew the area like the back of their hands. The cool, calm night time air filled their lungs. The gentle breeze danced past them, almost inviting them to dance along down the streets and past alleys and deep into the heart of town. The two boys were headed home, bundled up in jackets, Poptarts even wore a scarf.

"So, Matt, are you ready for that test next week?" Connor McKinley asked, making casual small talk. The redhead repositioned his messenger bag back onto his shoulder as it threatened to fall off yet again.

"If I must be truthful, not really. I can't seem to understand what it is we're supposed to be doing in that class." Mathias lamented, glancing at the passing buildings. The blond hated math, it was just so confusing.

"Well I'm sure if you study this weekend you'll get it down. What part are you struggling with, exactly?" Connor asked. Despite his resourcefulness, Connor wasn't much better at the subject than his friend.

Mathias gave Connor a hopeless look before answering, "All of it, Connor. All of it." He sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

"It's just that one chapter that's giving me the most problem, but it's all the chapter that most of the test is on.

What am I going to do?"

Sympathetic, Connor was about to answer when a certain classmate of this caught his eye.

Kevin Price.

Tall, handsome, a model student.

Connor felt his heart flip as he watched him walking down the other side of the street. The two had interacted on several occasions, it helped that the two of them shared a few classes as well. He was accompanied by a shorter, chubbier fellow with dark curly hair. Connor could just barely make out the conversation they were holding. Or rather the one-sided conversation the other fellow was having by himself, with Kevin just barely keeping it together.

"-but then Mister Timmul said that I couldn't use Star Wars in my Shakespeare literary analysis paper. I mean, it Star Wars has everything to do with Shakespeare!" He cried out, as if he was personally insulted.

Taking a chance to detour, he lightly jogged ahead of Mathias once they crossed the street to catch up to the two. Poor Mathias was left to play catch up, suddenly finding himself alone without any warning.

"Hello, Kevin. Fancy meeting you here." He greeted, trying to keep his dumb smile from showing too much. It wasn't exactly working, he was just too happy to be seeing him here of all places.

 _'It's like heavenly father wanted us_ _to meet here.'_ He thought to himself with a sense of giddiness.

"Oh, hi." Kevin answered back, a little flustered by Connor's sudden appearance.

"You're Connor, right? Connor McKinley?" His eyes lit up at the mention of his name.

"Why yes, that's right. I am Connor McKinley. We're in the same physics and history class together."

Heavy footfalls from behind announced Mathias's arrival.

"Why'd you take off so fast, Connor? You could have warned me." He whined, leaning against a wall. His hair was a little messed up and out of place. Otherwise, he only looked annoyed and confused.

"So, sorry about that, Mathias. This is Kevin Price, we're in the two of the same classes together." Connor replied, gesturing to the taller boy.

"Kevin, this is Mathias Thomas, my best friend."

Mattie waved, a bit red in the face from the run in the cold air.

Kevin and the other boy waved back.

"Nice to meet you, uh, Mat-Mathias?" Kevin greeted, stumbling over Poptart's unusual name.

"You can call me Mattie. Or you can call me Poptarts." Mathias responded, his usual peppiness bursting through.

"..." The other two gave slightly concerned, questioning looks.

"They call me that cause I love them so much!" Poptarts continued with a light squeal, explaining the origin behind his nickname.

"I see." Was all Kevin could reply with.

"I'm Arnold Cunningham!" The chubby boy announced, introducing himself at last. "And Kevin's _my_ best friend." He seemed quite proud at this fact. Kevin sighed, patting Arnold on the head.

"Is that so? Well tell us about yourself, Arnold. How long have you and Kevin known each other?" Connor asked, as the four began to walk down the sidewalk, slowly migrating towards their respective homes.

"Oh, uh, well- I've known Kevin since last year-we were in the same English class together, you see- and- we were supposed to do this project as a team. We couldn't decide on a topic." Arnold began.

"But we worked it out in the end, we fought a little, sure, but we compromised and did great on the paper." Kevin finished for him.

"That's just wonderful." Connor replied, clapping his hands happily.

"Speaking of projects, what do you think about that project we have in Physics? Do you have a partner yet?" Connor asked quickly.

"Not yet, no." Kevin admitted. "I was thinking of trying and doing it myself, honestly."

"You know, Kevin, I don't have a partner either. Maybe we could team up?" Connor suggested slyly. He fidgeted with his bag strap as he waited for a response.

"If you're okay with it, then I guess we could team up." Kevin conceded.

"That's just wonderful. We've got it all figured out already! You know, with your brains, we could get this finished in no time." He crowed happily.

Mattie and Arnold were painfully aware of their newfound third wheel status. Pops shifted from one foot to another, while Arnold just watched, head following the conversation as they spoke.

"Why don't we discuss this tomorrow in the morning?" Connor suggested, pleased with his small victory.

"Uh, sure. Yeah, let's do that. What's your phone number?" Kevin asked, pulling out his phone.

"Holy cow, it's really late, you guys." Arnold commented, eyes wide as he saw the time. Arnold wasn't one for keeping track of time, or a sense of planning. He was a go with the flow kind of guy, unless the situation was urgent. Still, he hadn't expected it to be _this_ late at night.

"Ah man, my parents are going to ground me if I'm out past midnight." Kevin groaned, squeezing his eyes shut.

"You know, there is a shortcut we could take." Connor pointed out. "They're not exactly 'ideal', but if we walk together and hurry, we can make it home before then."

"What...exactly did you have in mind?" Kevin asked cautiously.

"Well, there's that old abandoned Church a few streets over, it's pretty safe, I think." Connor suggested.

"You want to trespass?" Kevin cried in shock. The thought of breaking the rules, especially ones with legal consequences attached, was daunting to him.

"Listen, I know it sounds bad, but it's abandoned. If it's a shortcut we should take it if you want to save time." Connor stressed, fixing his bag strap once again.

Kevin bit his lip, thinking it over.

"Nobody has to know." Connor reassured him.

"Mormons don't lie." Kevin stressed, still conflicted over the idea. "But teenagers do. Let's do it." He said, finally resigning.

With that, the four of them headed off into the lesser traveled part of their town. Arnold and Poptarts fell behind, while Connor and Kevin took the lead.

* * *

Connor tried to think up of something to say, quickly while they could still talk. Like friends-or just classmates! Yes, nothing more than that. Although...there was the hope that…

"Do you have any siblings, Kevin?" Connor prodded, trying to fill the silence. Most families in Utah were Mormon, and Mormons tended to have large families. While not unheard of, it was unusual to find someone without siblings. Connor himself was the second oldest son in his family, and Poptarts was the oldest in his.

"I'm the oldest I've got 3 younger brothers and a sister." Kevin pointed out.

"I'm an only." Arnold spoke up from behind, sounding a little disappointed to be left out of the conversation.

"I'm sure there's some advantages to being an only." Poptarts pointed out trying to make Arnold cheer up.

"I'd have liked a younger brother or sister. I think I would have wanted a brother. Then we could pretend to be Jedis together. Or maybe go on an adventure. Not that sisters can't go on adventures-" Connor tuned him out as Arnold continued to ramble on.

Ducking between buildings and cutting across streets, the four of them were getting closer to the abandoned church, closer to home. It was a nice church, Connor supposed. It would have looked nicer in the day time.

The building held a strange aura to it. Equal parts fascination and unnerving, Connor felt drawn to the place. Admittedly, it was part of the reason why he wanted to swing by. He'd never seen it at night before. Maybe it was the way the lights from the other buildings bounced off from it, or through the dusty glass that gave it that sad yet inviting vibe.

"...Hey.." A voice said from the darkness, jerking Connor out of his thoughts.

The sudden addition to their group startled all four of them. The voice didn't sound much older than they were, but the darkness wasn't exactly making them feel at ease.

"Who's there?" Connor called out, as the others took a step back. Poptarts was ready to book it and Kevin looked ready to fight if he needed to.

A boy about their age stepped out from the ruins of the church. He wore a navy-blue windbreaker, a little tattered here and there. His sandy hair and dark brown eyes stared back at them.

"I've never seen you around here before. Not frequently anyway." The stranger stated, taking a few steps forward but stopped short of walking up to Connor.

"We don't want any trouble." Connor said, standing his ground. Despite his show of bravery, he terrified. There was safety in numbers, yes, but that didn't stop him from feeling these feelings.

"It's a good night for a walk,isn't it?" The boy that Connor now recognized as Elroy Church asked, arms behind his back.

Connor steeled himself. Elroy was notorious at school for having gotten in numerous fights. Rumor had it that he'd calmed downed, but a reputation like that was hard to leave behind.

"Well, Mister Church-" Connor began, keeping his voice steady.

" _Elroy_." The boy snapped, a not so hidden anger sprung up from him. "Do _not_ call me Mister Church." His eyes glared at them furiously.

" _Elroy_ ," Connor continued, shakily, "we don't mean you any harm and we certainly did not mean to trespass in your...territory." The red head took a deep breath before continuing.

"If you can find it in your heart to let us go, then-"

"Do you live around here?" Elroy asked abruptly. Connor was taken aback.

"Ex-excuse me?"

"You. Do you guys live around here?" Elroy asked again. Connor hesitated. What was he up to? Sure, it could have been friendly conversation but…

"With all due respect, Elroy, we'd rather keep that information private. We're just trying to get home before curfew. We've already apologized for walking through here and we'd like to _go_ now." Kevin answered, pushing forward sternly. His fists were balled up.

Connor hoped there wouldn't be a fight. For one, their parents might find out they'd been walking around back here. They really shouldn't have been, and if they could avoid tussling with one of the school bullies, that'd be great as well. Connor was sure he spoke with the rest of the group, when he'd decided he didn't want to start a feud between him and the guy who'd beat up several other kids in the past.

Elroy made a face as he watched. Connor wasn't sure if he was staring at them or behind them, but he didn't really care to find out.

"Well, we really should be on our way. Come along now-"

"What...what is _that_?" Elroy asked, pointing to something behind them.

"No, no, no, we are not going to fall any tricks, we just-" Kevin butted in, annoyed with the direction all this was taking.

"Oh, my gosh, Kevin turn around!" Arnold yelled frantically. Connor couldn't tell if Arnold sounded happy or was just as terrified as the rest of them had been feeling during the whole exchange.

"Come on Arnold, don't tell me you've- what _is_ that?" Kevin cried out in shock. Finally convinced, Connor also turned around to see what the big drama was about.

That 'something' was a bright light in the sky, a bright blue white. Connor would have dismissed it as a shooting star, but there something else about this 'light' in the sky. It seemed to be coming in their general direction, growing steadily larger in size. It disappeared a few streets over.

"What do we do?" Someone asked, maybe it was Arnold, maybe it was Kevin. Connor just stood there staring, in the direction of the lights. He could try to argue that it'd been a shooting star, yes. Something in his gut told him it wasn't. That it was something much bigger than that.

"That was definitely a UFO." It had to Arnold, Connor might not know much about Elroy, but he figured Arnold was probably the biggest alien enthusiast there.

"UFO or not, we should be heading home." Kevin pressed, trying to pull Arnold with him.

"Nuh uh, I want to see what it was. Just imagine, a real live alien." Arnold exclaimed happily.

"It's probably just a space rock." Poptarts said, finally saying something after a long period of silence.

"Still, a space rock would still be pretty cool to see. Maybe there's something left of it." Elroy countered, heading off in the direction of the lights.

"There was something different about those lights." Arnold insisted, pulling away from Kevin and following Elroy into the streets ahead.

"Arnold, wait up. Don't just go running off by yourself." Kevin called out after the other boy.

It was just Connor and Poptarts now, alone in the alleyway. The two looked at each other, just as speechless. They could leave, turn around and go home right now, was their hands of whatever the other three were getting themselves into. Or they could follow the others and either find something cool or just be disappointed.

"Do we follow them?" Poptarts asked.

"I guess we should see if they're alright." Connor admitted, before heading off after the other three.

"You don't really want to go, do you Connor?" Mathias asked again, keeping up with him now, despite Connor having the longer legs.

"It wouldn't be responsible. We should at least check in on them, make sure they're alright."

"I suppose so."


	2. All in your hands

**A/N: Warning, briefly some descriptions of physical injuries/gore. This story takes place in a fictionalized version of a real life location due to planning oversight. Special thanks to employee-210 for unintentionally betaing this for me**

A junk yard was not where Connor McKinley expected to find a spaceship.

In fact, Connor never planned on finding a spaceship at all.

There were cars everywhere, neatly packed, at least near the gate. Well, neat for a junkyard anyway. A larger heap of more broken down, partially harvested cars were piled up near the back. The smell of rusting metal, stale oil and molding upholstery assaulted their noses and threatened to stain their clothes with the stench of dead vehicles.

They sat abandoned and broken down. Others simply sold off, being too old or unrepairable. The fences surrounding the junkyard were for the most part, wooden or at least they looked that way. The top third was a chainlink fence, clattering whenever the wind blew too hard, or just the right way. They were at least six feet tall if Connor were to guess, he wouldn't doubt if they were higher. The gate was left ajar, no doubt from the other three making their way in. Briefly, he wondered if Elroy had picked the lock or if it was already damaged, granting access to whatever passerby fancied a trip through the lot.

Being near the more industrial section of town, Connor had been forbidden by his parents to visit. A child had no reason to, it was dangerous. Even for a teen like himself, it was still hazardous, albeit not as much as before. Despite this lack of first hand knowledge, Connor had memorized a map. He knew shortcuts and bus routes by heart.

It was awfully convenient that there were vehicles large enough to use as a rough reference for the ship. It was about as long as maybe two vans, maybe a whole school bus. Bearing two stubby wings and a scorpion like tail at the end, one might think it to be almost 'cute'. Connor, and he was sure the others had to have noticed, spotted the large gash on the side of the ship. It ran down from the wings all the way to the tail of the ship, leaving a big black singe on the otherwise pure looking ship. Damaged parts, wires among them perhaps, could be seen from the outside. How had it landed in one piece?

Arnold stood the closest to it, eyes wide with awe. Kevin kept his distance, torn between trying to drag Arnold away from the ship and coming closer to get a better view himself. Elroy sat on the hood of a car a mere two or so feet away, watching fascinated, his legs swinging slightly.

The five of them watched in anticipation, unsure of what to expect.

"We shouldn't be here, Arnold." Kevin stressed, starting to pace anxiously.

"..You're right, but-just _look_ at it. Kevin, it's a real spaceship. How many other people can say that?" Arnold pleaded, a tinge of guilt entered his still enthusiastic voice.

"What if it's armed?" Kevin pointed out, arms folded. "What if it's got a space disease on it, Arnold?"

"What if it's a drone?" Elroy suggested, voice in awe and wonder.

{You are wise to be wary. This is no drone.} Came a wordless voice. It wasn't a voice they heard with their ears but in their minds, if it could be called that.

The voice from the ship gave everyone a start. Kevin almost fell backwards, shocked and wide eyed, his breath hitched.

"Who are you?" Connor asked, slowly approaching the ship. The others came a little closer, forming a loose circle. Elroy hesitated, joining the rest shortly after.

{My name is Mafala, and I bring an urgent warning.} The voice inside the ship answered.

A semi circle of light began to form in the side of the spacecraft. Melting away, a peculiar creature was revealed ,blue and tan-a centaur roughly the size of a grown man. There was no visible mouth on his face, a strange slit like nose-Connor couldn't make out some of the finer details due to the sheer darkness of the night and the brightness of the ship behind Mafala. As the alien came closer, he staggered. A large wound on his side that became more apparent the closer he came. Blood dripped down his flank, staining his fur, his rear hooves. The light from the ship allowed them to see more than enough detail of the injury. Connor tried to avert his attention from the gash.

It was then that he became aware of that tail of his, it bore a strong resemblance the tail of the ship. It was a long, mighty tail with a scythe like blade coming from near the tip. Mafala fell from the ship's ramp, succumbing to his wounds.

"Someone call 9-1-1." Connor ordered, snapping back into the present.

{No! It's too dangerous.} Mafala chided them harshly. Poptarts almost dropped his I phone.

"We can't just let you die. There has to be something we can do." Arnold argued, fumbling around for his own phone now.

{If you call for help, you will all get captured and killed. Or worse.} Mafala snapped, wincing from his injuries. His main eyes were squeezed shut in agony, one stalk eye glaring at the boys. His other stalk eyes scanned the sky, watching.

Waiting.

No one spoke, allowing Mafala to continue.

{I cannot say for certain if your hospitals have been infiltrated. I would not put it past the Yeerks to do so, either.}

"Yeerks? What are they? Why hasn't anyone noticed them?" Kevin asked, speaking once more.

{They are a parasitic species, boneless creatures better adapted for an aquatic life than one on land. They crawl through your ear, wrap themselves around a host's brain. They have utter control from then on for three days at a time. They have enslaved entire races before yours. } Mafala explained, hated and disdain so strong that it ran chills up Connor's spine.

"Like body snatchers?" Arnold offered as way of a relatable comparison.

Mafala watched with amused eyes, smiling with them. The lack of a mouth made certain facial expressions different, Connor mused.

{It is a fitting comparison.} He agreed before seizing up in agony again.

{We Andalites have been fighting them for years, a generation has grown up under this war.} There was bitterness in his words, regret echoed from his thoughts.

{Our time runs short. Quickly, one of you, run into my ship. There is a blue box, the Escafil Device, and a pair of Shredders in my cockpit. Go, now.} Mafala ordered urgently.

"Wait what? What are you going to do?" Kevin pressed, more alarmed than before.

{I am going to give you a way to protect yourself, your people and your planet. A technology that no other race in the universe has. The power to morph into any animal you touch.} Mafala gazed into Kevin's eyes with his own main eyes, his stalk eyes now attending fully to keeping a lookout.

"You want us to fight?" Elroy sounded shocked at the prospect, having figured it out first.

Connor ducked into the fighter, keeping a tab on the conversation. It was unlike any plane he'd been on, for starters there were no seats. Then again, horses didn't need seats, did they? Everything was rounded and spacious, a calm creamy color.

{Surprise and secrecy will be your greatest advantage. When I die tonight, they will believe they are unopposed again on this planet. Use it wisely, keep it safe. I can assure you, full out war will be disastrous for your people. They have conquered other worlds much faster that way, but at greater cost..}

Connor's eyes darted hurriedly around on the console before he spotted it among the buttons and screens. Connor watched as the cube-maybe four inches on all sides, rose up, freed from it's confines. It was surprisingly heavy for how small it was.

"There has to be a way to save you, we need you to guide us." Arnold cried out, before Kevin shushed him fearfully. Connor could briefly hear Kevin warning Arnold to talk quieter.

"We're just high schoolers, we can't fight a war. We can't even drive."

Connor placed the cube in his messenger bag, before searching for the 'shredders.' Somehow he doubted Mafala was talking about Office Shredders, tearing up pieces of paper didn't seem like it would help them much.

"I have a permit." Poptarts offered weakly, trying to lighten the mood. He didn't sound like he believed what he was trying to do.

{You must find a way. The Andalite fleet will come, I cannot say when. Until then you must delay them. The five of you are all that Earth has to defend itself. The Yeerks have not made their true intentions known to the greater public.} Mafala urged.

Connor found the shredders, or what he thought were shredders. They were small and light, hand held devices. A little 'slider' of sorts could be seen, a range of symbols on the side. He'd have to figure it out later.

"Listen, it's not that I don't want to help you but, we can't fight this war." Kevin said apologetically. "We don't know anything about fighting or-or killing. Please, I just want to be a normal teenager." He pleaded desperately.

{Do you have a family? Someone you care deeply for?} Mafala asked, his voice low and grave.

"Y-Yeah. Of course I do." Kevin stammered, taken aback.

Connor zipped them up carefully in his messenger bag. Taking one last look before he left, he saw it. It was small, a holographic photograph of who Connor could only assume was Mafala with two smaller, more purple Andalites. They seemed peaceful, happy and oblivious of the dangers around them. The smaller one, was snug against his side, doing the same mouthless smile Mafala had.

{As do I. My daughter, Nabulungi, she was on the Dome ship when it fell into your planet's atmosphere.. I watched it burn with my own eyes.}

No, they knew. They knew what violence lurked around the corner, that their happy family could come undone the next time he went to war. A painful lump formed in Connor's throat, he swallowed hard. He took the picture with him as well. Not as a memento, but a reminder.

"I'm so sorry for your loss."

Connor closed his eyes, walking out of the ship. He didn't want to do this. None of them wanted the responsibility or the danger that would undoubtedly come. They weren't be forced to fight, couldn't be, if Mafala was really going to die soon. It was the knowledge that damned them, to being aware of threats, of deeper schemes that had eluded them for who knew how long. It too, would be this knowledge that forced them to act in one way or another.

Connor was sure of it. He had first hand experience of his own. Not in this matter, not in this depth, but he knew. The nature of his...affections had forced him to open his eyes to a sin within himself, changed him forever. Knowledge was burdensome.

{It is true, I cannot force you to fight. Very soon, I will not be able to do anything. I want you to promise me this, if nothing else. Find my daughter, if she lives. Loneliness is a terrible thing, she is all I have left.}

Connor presented the cube to Mafala. The other boys were still there, hadn't left, hadn't run away screaming or crying. Connor felt a maelstrom of emotions. Numbness, sadness, pity. Pity for both the Andalite, so far away from home. Pity for these five teenagers who were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"This is it, right? The ...Device?" Connor asked, his voice wavering.

{It is, yes. This decision only you can make, if you choose to take up arms, or to walk away. All I can do is offer you the choice. Put your hand on the side of the Escafil Device if you wish to receive this power. You must decide quickly.}

"I'm in." Elroy answered, without hesitation. He walked forward, nudging Connor out of the way. A stony look of determination couldn't hide the fear and uncertainty slipping through. It looked out of place on the boy whose reputation preceded him.

Connor had already done his thinking, already knew what he'd decide. He didn't like it but at the same time he'd never been so sure.

"I'll join you." Connor said, sighing deeply, kneeling in the dirt next to Elroy.

"What? Are you insane? Connor, this is too much for us." Poptarts protested, trying to pull Connor away.

"I don't want you to die, I don't- Connor, please, reconsider." The poor teen could only look up at his best friend of fifteen or so odd years.

"I'm sorry. I can't just leave him, leave them." He cracked a pained smile. "It's not what a good Mormon would do." He silently prayed to Heavenly Father that he was doing the right thing, that they'd get through this.

"You're serious...I hate you, you know that." Mathias fell to his knees, next to Connor. "You know I can't just leave you." His face was scrunched up, frowning. There was resentment, but there was also loyalty.

Connor almost wanted to cry, as he wrapped his arm around the smaller boy.

"This is not a game, Arnold, Get up, this is serious. It's real life, it's not one of your star wars movies."

Fuzzy haired Arnold Cunningham had taken place next to Elroy, Kevin was alone now. Standing some distance away. It must have been a sight from his position, seeing four kids who barely knew each other huddled around an otherworldly being. Mere moments away from losing everything they'd known.

"Kevin, please. He's dying. I know it's not a game.. I'm smarter than that, trust me. We can't just leave Nababanjo all alone. Think of how scared she must be. This is bigger than us, and it's going to take everything we've got. I want to save her at least."

Kevin was helpless, looking at each of them, for a sign, for someone to back him up, to back down.

He would find none.

Soon all five of them were huddled together, hands pressed on every side of the cube. A warm tingle, a pleasant shock. It was the only positive thing about this whole situation.

{One more gift I can give you before you leave.} Mafala told them, as Connor hid the cube back into his bag.

{Put your hands on me, concentrate. My form may offer you some protection in the future. Disguised as an Andalite you may last a little longer.} Five hands were pressed upon his wounded flank.

Concentrate, he'd said.

Think. Think about what?

The war? The aliens that were supposedly among them?

The Andalite.

This was going to be his last battle, one that would end in a casualty. The first bloodshed of their newly acquired war.

Mafala's body grew lax, drowsy almost.

{It is done.} He informed them. {Never remain in morph for more than two hours, or you will be in morph forever.}

As they removed their hands from him, red streaks in the night sky appeared. They seemed to double back, now having seen their target. {Go now, hurry. Hide.}

As the boys ran for safety, Mafala gave them one last instruction.

{Tell Naba I love her, that I wish I could have told her goodbye.}

It was then that it appeared, almost as dark as the night sky itself, a ship that emanated terror and a promise of cruelness beyond their imagination. Sharp, sleek and angular, almost like a battle axe, it descended, accompanied by smaller more bug like looking ships.

Mafala lay there, surrounded by a pool of blood now, facing death with the bravery that only comes with an undeniable certainty of knowing what comes next.


	3. You can(not) return

**March 25, Year 1**

Kevin Price was dreaming. He had to be.

He so sorely, dearly, needed to be dreaming, he wanted the life he'd always known back to the way it should be. Kevin wanted to live his perfectly normal life, to go on his mission, go to Orlando and live the dream. He wanted to live a life where people liked him, respected him, where he would make his parents and Heavenly Father proud.

As the feel of the blankets and the mattress upon his skin, the noises of the outside world began to finally register in his mind, Kevin awoke reluctantly. His otherwise neat and plain room was the same as ever as it had been since the day he no longer had to share with Jack. Picture frames and endearing knicknacks littered his dresser, screenshots of a life he was already beginning to miss.

Pictures of him and his siblings, pictures of their trip to Disney Land, his first day of high school- all of it staring back at him almost tauntingly. They were oblivious to wild outlandish things, of what truly waited for them out beyond their little neck of space. It wasn't something Kevin had ever wondered about, ever wanted to really know.

A knock at the door made Kevin jump, his heart felt like it was racing at a thousand miles an hour. His whole body was shaking slightly as he tried to relax, look normal, unsure of whom it was.

Jack?

Their Father?

"Kevin? It's late; you should come down to breakfast." From the other side of the door came the voice of Mrs. Price. Kevin could already see her standing there, in her green little apron, hair pulled back into a motherly bun. If there was anyone he wanted chastising him, it was her. Between his parents, Mrs. Price was the more level headed one, more willing to listen.

"Alright, just a minute." He answered; trying to sound like everything was okay. Kevin quickly fixed his hair, like he always did every morning without fail; it was his pride and joy. As he checked his fluffy brown locks one more time, he headed downstairs.

It was Saturday, a day where Kevin tried to pretend he had the day to himself. Like other kids his age, however, it was just a thinly veiled excuse to catch up on all the work they'd put off or had to hurry and finish before Monday rolled around again. With four other kids in the household, this was sometimes a herculean feat, especially when tests were involved.

The dining room table was already full of an array of pancakes and eggs, syrup glistening in the morning light. Jack was already digging in, Mister Price read the newspaper, seemingly oblivious to what Kevin had been doing last night. Kevin hoped he was. His youngest brother was only just now heading down, his hair an utter mess. There was still no sign of their only sister.

"Good Morning, Father." Kevin greeted, taking his seat next to Jack. Jack mumbled something Kevin didn't hear and went back to his pancakes.

"You came home late last night, Kevin." Their Father reminded him sternly from behind his paper. An uncomfortable silence befell the kitchen table; even the TV seemed to have gotten quieter. He could still hear it chattering away mindlessly in the background, trying to entertain an audience that was never really listening most of the time.

Kevin took a drink from his orange juice, as if he could delay the inevitable. He could practically feel the eyes drilling into him, judging him from behind the gray wall of print between them.

"I was helping a classmate with their homework last night." Kevin answered, swallowing hard. An uneasy, almost nauseous feeling crept into his stomach. Lying, he was lying again and he knew it. Not entirely, but lying was still lying. A sin was a sin, no matter how small.

Mister Price folded his paper, putting it down to look deeply into his son's eyes. Kevin hated it, feared it. He felt like he was five again, standing in this very kitchen after that cursed night. It almost felt like someone else was watching, scrutinizing and marking up everything he did wrong. If it wasn't Heavenly Father, he didn't want to know who else.

It had been less than twelve hours since they learned about the Yeerks, he wasn't ready to openly question if there was one in his house, sitting a few seats away from him. He didn't want to accept the possibility that maybe his dad…wasn't his dad anymore. What about his mom? His siblings?

"You know the rules, Kevin. You need to call us if you stay out past curfew." Mister Price reminded him curtly. Kevin glanced around, their sister, Olivia was just now sitting down, clutching her princess doll. Lance was piling an almost disgusting amount of syrup and Jack was caught between wanting to slip away and awkwardly staying there with his half eaten plate of food.

"I didn't want to wake everyone up." Kevin replied, sounding apologetically, he was telling the truth this time, more of it, anyway. He couldn't have called because he was too busy running for his life as well as trespassing. That in itself was worth a lecture. What had actually happened at the junkyard was worth at least two lectures and a load of who knew what if they found out.

"He's just trying to be considerate, dear." Mrs. Price said as she finally sat down for breakfast herself. Helping Olivia with her pancakes she continued, "Besides, being courteous is a good thing we should instill in all of our children."

"That may be so, but rules must be followed, Irene. They exist for a reason, and I will not have them get in the habit of breaking them willy nilly. No child of mine is going to become a hooligan. " Mister Price grunted, finally digging into the pile of food on his plate. The TV got louder as Lance went to plop himself down in front it, having finished his meal in record time as always.

Kevin hurriedly filled his own plate and started to eat, truth be told, he wasn't very hungry. As conversation drifted away from him and towards the rest of his siblings, Kevin's mind began to wander.

How many mornings had gone like this before? A lavish, filling breakfast, a table full of chatter. Lunch, Dinner, stern lectures and rushed last minute school projects had graced this table. It had been a center point of the Price household. A large family required lots of food, bringing them together in one way or another. The Prices had always been very close knit because of their large size.

Who else were you supposed to rely on in the end if not your own family? Family was supposed to always be there for you when the rest of the world turned it's back on you. Of course, they all held secrets of their own. Despite the mantra 'Mormons don't lie' that his parents had instilled into the rest of the Price kids over and over again, they kept some sense of privacy in their own lives. Kevin was pretty sure that every other Mormon kid from around the world had that mantra drilled into their heads . He wondered how many of them had actually followed that. He didn't like lying to his parents, it felt awful when he inevitably imagined their disappointment if they found out. He might be more willing to lie to his dad, justify it weakly at that, but his mom.

There was a sharp pang in his chest as he thought about her. Mrs. Price worked hard to keep the household running smoothly, stayed up late to help the kids with homework. While his father was away at work, earning money, she had been home alone, wrangling a small herd of lively boys until Jack and Kevin were old enough to help. Yet these hardships did not change her, did not mar her loving and gentle demeanor.

Mrs. Price didn't deserve to be lied to, to be fed a slurry of false truths and empty reassurances. She didn't deserve to worry about the war, about aliens and her son getting mixed up in it either. Even if he could tell her, how could he? Would he? Did she really deserve more grief and heartache?

Had Kevin not been tied up with aliens last night, he wouldn't have told his parents about his little adventure in the Junkyard. Of course, he wouldn't have been in that junkyard if there weren't aliens to begin with….or been friends with Arnold Cunningham in the first place. It was an increasingly tangled web of 'ifs' that threatened to suck Kevin into oblivion.

"Kevin? You're not touching your food. Is everything alright?" The boy in question looked up at his mother, the table was fairly empty at this point. Mister Price was nowhere to be seen.

"Yeah, yeah I'm just, tired. That's all." He assured her, putting on a winning smile. Satisfied, she finished up her own meal, leaving only Kevin and Olivia together. His sister tilted her head at Kevin thoughtfully.

"I heard you last night. You were talking to yourself." She piped up, as if it was the most scandalous thing in the world between just the two of them.

"You didn't hear anything." He whispered, as their mother did the dishes and their father returned to chastise Mark for watching cartoons at his age. Mark protested of course, always reluctant to give up his worldly pleasures and possessions. Of the Price brothers, Mark was the lazier and more laid back of the four of them.

Their father shooed him out as he flipped the channel to the news. While never actively seeking out the news himself, Kevin had no qualms about listening to it in the background. Reluctantly, Mark slinked off towards his room towards the unanswered pile of homework and tests he most likely pushed off to the last minute. The local news came on, a cheery looking young woman in a modest dress appeared chattering about the weather.

"-And for all of you in the area, you can look forward to clear sunny days for Thursday, Friday and Saturday."

Kevin glanced at the weather, it was supposed to be in the high fifties and low sixties for most of the week. No rain, which was nice.

Kevin hated getting wet. He wouldn't doubt that having to share a bathroom with three other brothers had something to do with that. Fighting over the bathroom and the only other hair dryer in the house tended to be a routine occurrence.

"Were you out late because you have a girlfriend, Kevin?" She asked, leaning forward, the front of her shirt was dangerously close to getting in her syrup.

"No I do not have a girlfriend." He hissed. "Even if I did, I wouldn't tell you." Kevin wasn't particularly looking for a girlfriend at the moment nor did he ever really feel the need to. In the future, maybe he'd look for someone, but for now he was content as he was.

"Are you suuure?" She pressed, grinning widely. Kevin frowned, pushing her back into her seat.

"Yes, I'm sure. I'd know if I had a girlfriend." He whispered, putting an end to the conversation. He reached to wipe the syrup off her shirt before she blocked him.

"Thanks Marilyn, for the weather. Were you lucky enough to catch sight of the shooting star last night?" The lady in red asked the audience, segwaying into a new segment.

Kevin's heart jumped.

"I can do it." She pouted, succeeding in smearing it more than anything else.

"Around eleven last night, several residents called in to report spectacular lights in the sky. The event was short lived, hope you made your wishes."

It was surreal, almost nauseatingly so. How she-and the rest of the world, could simply overlook an ill fated alien, crashing on Earth as simple shooting stars.

Kevin was almost envious.

"Olivia needs a new shirt, Mother." Kevin called out, deciding he'd had enough. He wasn't sure he could feel like eating now. As his voice wavered ever so slightly, got up maybe a little too hurriedly, becoming hyper aware of how much he was standing out.

"Livvy, what did I tell you about leaning over your food?" Mrs. Price chastised, taking a look at the damage.

"It's Kevin's fault. If he told me about his girlfriend, I wouldn't-"

"I don't have a girlfriend, Olivia." Kevin groaned, putting his dish in the sink.

The muffled noise of the television wafted down the hall, into his room. He closed the door, locked it. If the Yeerks knew, Kevin was aware that little piece of wood wouldn't do him much good. Flipping his computer on, he forced himself to think of other things. As he busied himself with making his bed, he glanced out the window. A near cloudless sky, the world starting to turn green again. So peaceful, so full of budding life, Kevin couldn't help but stare longingly.

A paradoxical swell of thoughts and emotions rose in him. A desire to go back to the peaceful everyday life, an anxiousness of inactivity. His want to do something coupled by his instinct to stay alive, self perseverance.

His bed remained half heartedly made, blankets and sheets remained crumpled up. In the very least they weren't all bunched up now, so at least he couldn't get nagged as much. Kevin sat down at his computer, his wooden desk was mostly neat, a handful of papers and books sat in piles off to the side.

Mickey Mouse stared back at Kevin from his desktop wallpaper. His cartoony smile joined by the faint gray faces of his friends, equally jolly. For as much joking and chastising Kevin got for loving Disney at his age, he didn't care. It was a reassurance, a bright and colorful world where everything turned out alright and the good guys lived happily ever after. It was the way the world should be.

Should, but wasn't.

His mind went back to last night, to Mafala's death. Life wasn't fair, he'd had a family, a daughter. Whether he still had a daughter was still a very big question hanging over their heads. There was no doubt that she didn't have a father anymore.

Kevin opened the browser, after his computer finished loading. He hesitated, staring at the blinking bar at the top of the screen.

He typed in one thing, deleted it.

Typed in another thing, hesitated.

He pressed enter.

The video was on youtube, buried, but still there, nonetheless. His eyes darted, skimming through comments, looking for a sign. The only traces of familiarity to be found were people declaring that they lived around there, knew where it was. Scrolling back up, he noticed the video had ended.

It was only twenty seconds long.

Those twenty seconds, caught by some camera just doing its' job was their biggest threat. Not the seven foot tall Hork Bajir, swimming in blades. Not the hideous hunger driven Taxxons, not even Visser three.

A camera. This little resistance of theirs, of Mafalas's, over before it even began.

But where were they then, if they knew?

Kevin's mouse hovered over the replay button, unsure if he could bear to see it. The fear of being close to discovering how screwed they could be-were- it kept him from clicking right away.

Having to know, but not wanting to know, the video stared at him tauntingly.

A phone rang, making the decision for Kevin. He checked his phone, it was Arnold.

"Kevin, can you come over?" Arnold asked, not bothering to lower his booming voice.

"My Dad's kind angry that I came home late last night." Kevin told him in a hushed voice, pacing his room anxiously.

"Oh...sorry." Arnold apologized. His voice dropped before picking back up again, albeit with less volume.

"Can you get a hold of the other guys from last night?" He asked with a sense of urgency.

"What are you planning on doing?" Kevin asked suspiciously, squinting at Arnold, despite the lack of his physical presence.

"Did you see the news this morning?" Arnold asked back, answering a question with another question.

Kevin was about to protest the absurdity of having three questions in a row, yielding no answers.

"Yeah." Kevin walked to his closet, pulling out some nicer clothes to wear out.

Silence filled the air. A sense of dejection came over him. Arnold was right, they had to talk.

"Yeah, okay. I can get to Connor, but I don't know about the other two. What time do you want us to meet up?"

"My parents are out all weekend, so, uh...half an hour?"

"Alright, be there." Kevin hung up and called a different number.

The phone rang once, twice- picked up finally.

"Hello?" Connor's voice on the other end was cheerful and slightly confused.

"It's me, Kevin. Can you call Poptarts and Elroy?"

A heavy pause from the other end started to worry him.

"We're meeting up at Arnold's in half an hour. We need to talk."


	4. Semblance of Unity

There were some benefits of being an only child, Arnold decided. Coming home to an empty house was both a blessing and curse in this case, a blessing because he wouldn't have to drop another lie about his whereabouts or why he woke up crying in the early hours of the morning.

His mind would not leave the junkyard, it was as drawn to that moment, as he had been to the falling Andalite ship. The sheer awe of what was happening before his eyes outweighed the potential danger. Every wild dream of his longing for an adventure meant for him was about to come true right then and there. A chance to prove himself, to go and become the hero of his own story.

Like all stories, there was always an evil force at play- whether it be Siths or Sauron and his armies. The Yeerks came and extinguished that flame, that call to adventure that was the brave Andalite prince. It was then that the fairy tale opportunity faded, as did Mafala's life in front of them. The piercing cries echoed through their minds, as they sat frozen in fear behind abandoned trucks and vans.

Thus, Arnold Cunningham dreamed of possibilities, of life and death. He dreamed of a world where he was a hero, he dreamed of a world where he was dead. It was the fear of the Yeerks finding them, the monstrous, bladed Hork Bajir breaking down his door that kept Arnold from sleeping much that night.

Finally, when the sun had risen and freed Arnold from any preconceived obligation to sleep, he wandered about the house, checking, as if to assure himself that he was safe. The wood floors creaked under his feet, making his heart race as fast as they had when he'd made it home. The sheer emptiness of the rooms gave him chills. Unable to handle the silence any longer, Arnold flipped on the tv, and dug through his pantry for breakfast. He doubted he'd be able to eat much, but it was worth a shot.

It was by chance that he'd seen that news story, the one about them. Them and the alien, last night in the junkyard. Well, not really, it should have been though, the streak of light from last night- it was no….whatever they were saying it was. Arnold's hand was dialing Kevin's number before he was fully aware of what he was doing. Arnold wasn't sure if Kevin would be able to deliver on his promise to call Connor or Connor being able to call the scary kid and the pastry boy from last night.

There was nothing Arnold could do now but wait, maybe even pray to Heavenly Father.

To say that it was a relief when Kevin first appeared was an understatement, he'd nearly bowled him over, knocked him down.

"Arnold, you're gonna knock me over." He protested, struggling under the force of Arnold's hug.

"I'm so glad to see you, Kevin. I couldn't sleep at all last night- did you sleep at all?" Arnold's mouth was running a thousand miles an hour, words spilling out so fast he almost couldn't keep up with himself.

"I'm glad to see you too, buddy." Kevin replied, a weary smile spread across his face as he ran his fingers through Arnold's hair.

"So, uh, did Connor and the others-?" Arnold fidgeted with his clothes, stepping back from Kevin finally.

"He said he'd get a hold of...Poptarts?" Kevin frowned, trying to wrap his mind around the blonde kid's strange name...and nickname.

"He isn't sure about Elroy," Kevin said his name with a thinly veiled animosity and distrust, "but he can't promise he'll show up."

The conversation died between them, lingering in the air waiting to be picked up again. When they did it drifted from one subject to another, avoiding the real reason they were hooking up at Arnold's place.

"Do they know how to get here?" Arnold asked as the question suddenly occurred to him.

"I texted Connor the directions." Kevin assured him, sitting at Arnold's kitchen counter. He'd been here before a few times, it was a bit odd to see it without Mrs. Cunningham tending to this or that around the house. Kevin had offered to help her out and actually assisted her once with something.

"So, where are your parents at, if they're leaving you all alone for the weekend?" Kevin asked, checking the time. It'd been almost an hour since Arnold first called them together. Arnold had no idea where Connor lived, or anyone aside from Kevin for that matter. They had to have lived close enough to offer that shortcut, hadn't they?

"Oh, uh, they went to visit family in another state. They might be gone a little longer than the weekend, but they said they'd try to be back around Monday." He answered. Arnold was used to these impromptu trips, they'd become a lot more frequent once he became old enough to fend for himself. Of course these were more often than not over the weekend, so Arnold didn't have to worry too much. It was equal parts liberating and lonely.

"I have a lot of cousins," He explained, "I don't see them much." Arnold didn't elaborate, his family situation was...best left where it was.

The conversation fell into silence once more, an odd thing to happen considering this was Arnold Cunningham, the boy with the motor mouth.

Thankfully Connor came by not too long afterwards, with Poptarts and surprisingly Elroy in tow as well.

"Well, I hope we weren't too late, getting here." Connor announced, once Arnold let them in.

Connor wore what he had the night before, even bringing the bag with him as well.

"Huh? Oh no, no, I didn't know if you'd know how to get here." Arnold lied, he felt like he had waited for ages but he couldn't tell him that.

"How did you find Elroy?" Kevin asked, giving the teen in question a look.

"Oh, that, well-"

"I like taking strolls throughout the day,." Elroy cut off Connor, who looked somewhere between embarrassed and relieved. His voice was flat and calculating, he stood up straight, daring any of them to stare him down.

Connor cleared his throat, as to push aside the tension in the room.

"Now that we're all here, how about we get down to business. Arnold, you said you wanted us here?" Connor gave off a reassuring smile, nodding to him, as to hand over the situation to him.

"Guys, did you see the video on the news this morning?" Arnold asked, suddenly remembering.

"No, why?" Mathias asked, taking a seat. His clothes were rumpled and his blonde hair didn't seem any neater. He fished out a Poptart from Connor's bag and chowed down. Kevin raised an eyebrow but Arnold continued.

"There was a story on the news about the junkyard last night." Kevin supplied, interrupting Arnold accidentally.

There was silence, for just a moment as the other three boys looked at Kevin and Arnold, in varying states of shock and horror.

"We have to leave, now." Connor said quickly, sprinting to the door as soon as he came back to his senses.

"Wait! No, don't go." Arnold yelled after him, the other two starting to run after Connor. Kevin ran after them too, fighting Connor for the door.

In a desperate ploy to escape, Connor tried to push Kevin out of the way with Poptart's help. Elroy, more than anything watched.

"Arnold, are you mad? If they know who we are, we're all dead. You saw what happened last night."

"Guys, they haven't found us yet!" he protested so loudly, he thought his throat would give out.

"If they did, we'd be gone by now."

Silence once again fell across the house

"They would have found us by now if they knew." Arnold explained stressing his point. He swallowed hard, hoping they would slow down and listen long enough.

The trio stayed where they were, as if contemplating the news. Slowly, almost irritatingly slow, they came away from the door. Arnold wanted to pull them away, to show them-

"Look, look, I'll show you." he said, pulling out his phone.

Elroy and Kevin gave each other a look, before leaving to join the others.

The room was tense, quiet, even as everyone gathered around Arnold's phone.

As the news clip began to play, everyone's eyes were focused. Their eyes darted across the tiny screen, straining for any clue of them. As the pretty lady on the screen smiled at them and rambled on about the 'shooting star' from the night before.

The moment of truth arrived, every second coming closer to revealing them to the world.

Any second now.

Any second.

As the video reached the end, the five of them sat in stunned silence. Nothing. They weren't there, no sign of people in fact.

"See you guys? We're fine." Arnold stressed, putting the phone down.

"I'm not convinced." Elroy said, folding his arms. He glared down at the now blank screen on the table.

"What are you talking about? We just saw the video together." Kevin pushed back, throughly not wanting to go through this fight again.

"Look, people can edit videos. There's no reason to believe that they don't know." Elroy shot back, turning his attention wholly on Kevin now.

"Even so, Elroy, they haven't come for us yet. They really might have missed us. Even if they do know we still have time to make a plan." Kevin pressed, not backing down from the other boy.

Arnold looked between the two of them, starting to panic. If they started fighting now, they were going to fail before they even started. This wasn't how they should be acting- they had a destiny, a mission to accomplish. He thought back to his beloved books, where the heroes came out on top. They had their fights with each other, but they only won their battles by staying together. They needed to be in a team together.

Connor clapped his hands together, bringing attention back to himself.

"People, people, let's not start another war here. We will get nowhere if we continue to fight. I think we can agree that we need to make a plan."

"Alright, first things first, I believe we should go over what happened last night."

Elroy got up with a start, as if startled by something unseen. With eyes wide he asked a question that had yet to cross their minds until then. "Arnold, are your parents home?"

Connor just about had a heart attack, and Poptarts almost choked on his namesake snack.

"No no no, my parents are out. Kevin knows. They're not coming back until Monday. Relax, guys." Arnold flailed, trying to restore the sense of order they had had moments before. He poured Mathias a glass of water hastily. The blonde boy took it gratefully and drank.

"And yet he didn't bother to tell us." Elroy responded coldly, the not so subtle cold war between the two flared up again.

"Look, I'm sorry. When I texted Connor the directions, it just sort of slipped my mind." Kevin protested, trying to clear the air between them.

"That's a pretty important detail to leave out. One that might turn out poorly for us."

"Listen, Elroy, I-"

"That's enough from you two." Connor cut in coldly, seemingly putting the fight on hold. "We need to get down to the heart of the matter. What do we do now?"

Turning his head, he looked them both in the eyes. "It was irresponsible to leave that detail out. But there's no need to fight about that now, I'm hoping that everyone in this room is aware of the severity of these turn of events."

Now he turned around, hands clasped and back straight. No one dared to make a noise, except for the messenger bag from last night.

"Now, we all agree that last night was real, correct?"

There was a muted chorus of agreement from all parties involved. Connor stopped for a moment, contemplating something before turning around again. He closed the curtains in the kitchen. Arnold picked up on this and closed a few more. The Cunningham's backyard faced a small thicket, difficult to see during the spring and summer when the foliage was thick and green. The neighbors tended to mind their own business for the most part, only dropping by once in a great while if they happened to be picking up the mail or taking out the trash at the same time.

Going into his bag, which was a fair bit dirtier from last night, Connor pulled out the cube and the Shredders.

Elroy made a move for the weapons, but Connor swatted him away. This earned him a suspicious look from Kevin. If Elroy noticed, he didn't show it.

"Have you tested it out yet?" He asked, looking it over from its' place on the table.

Connor shook his head lightly. "No, I haven't. There was no time. Besides, I'm not crazy enough to test it out in a house filled with people." He chastised the idea, earning a sheepish look from the usually stoic Elroy Church.

"Can I hold it?" He asked tentatively. "I'm just suggesting that we get a feel for the weapon. We can test it out..somewhere else."

"Not until we've tested it somewhere else. I don't think playing with a space gun we just received yesterday is a good idea." Connor pointed out, gently shooting down the idea.

"I think we shouldn't wait too long. We don't know how good those guns are good for. If they work on a charge, who knows how long they'll last." Elroy made yet another argument, reluctant to drop the topic.

"In that case, it doesn't matter unless we're going to be jumping into a fight of some sort. Hopefully we can avoid that." Connor answered firmly, putting an end to the Shredder discussion.

"You seem awfully concerned about those Shredders, Elroy." Kevin noted, the thinly veiled distrust was back again in his voice.

"If we're going to be getting involved, we should know what we've got to work with. It's never a good idea to run into something blind. Just a suggestion from someone who would know what he's doing." Elroy replied hotly.

"Maybe we should hide it somewhere safe." Mathias pipped up, talking for the first time in the whole meeting. "You know, so no one finds it."

"That is something we need to do, yes. Not just the Shredders, but the Cube too." Connor agreed, returning to his more calm yet tired demeanor from before.

"I'm sure as long as we store it somewhere safely, we won't have to be as worried about it going off for the time being. We will return to them in the near future." The pointed message was not so subtly meant for Elroy, who gazed at the weapons on the table with all the reluctance of a child who had been denied a toy he'd sorely wanted.

"On to the other topic of our little meeting. What do we do about the morphing cube? We can already morph-"

"-We haven't actually tried it yet." Mathias pointed out, sitting on the edge of his chair as he leaned against the counter top.

"Yes, well, with the events of last night, I don't suppose anyone could really have had the time." Connor reminded them gently.

"Why don't we try it out now?" Arnold suggested, feeling a surge of eagerness. The idea of playing with these powers of theirs for the first time excited him. It would be like discovering the Force, or experimenting with magic for the first time. The thrill of getting to do something amazing, out of this world, it was tantalizing for Arnold.

He knew this was all serious business, what they were going to get into one way or another. Still, it didn't stop him from wanting to try. The thought of being something else, something cool, like a tiger, or a bear.

His mind drifted once more to the night before. Even an alien. An Andalite. The thought was tainted with a mix of excitement and mourning. Mafala had wanted them to use his form, to fight this battle. At the same time...it felt almost wrong in some regards.

"Even if we don't fight the Yeerks with the morphing ability, we should still see what it can do." Elroy chimed in, before Kevin could protest yet again he added, "We agreed to find his daughter. I think morphing is the way to do it."

Whatever Kevin would have said visibly died as he silently agreed with him.

"I'm not sure that it's the best idea right now, Arnold." Connor said hesitantly, his words came haltingly out of his mouth. Conflicted, Connor fiddled with the strap on his bag.

"There's still so much we need to discuss, before we even start on that."

"Connor, I think...I think we should go ahead the test this out." Poptarts said, almost forgotten in near the back of the group. Everyone, more or less having forgotten about the small, blonde boy turned to look at him.

"It's just the five of us here, and we know we're alone. Connor, if we're going to test this, now's the best time." Poptarts pleaded, gazing at his best friend.

Swallowing Connor was overwhelmed, looking among the others. Arnold wanted this, Elroy was supportive of the move. Poptarts had given his thoughts and Kevin was out numbered.

"Alright, it looks like we've made our decision already." Connor sighed, letting out a reluctant breath.

"If we're going to try this morphing thing, I think we should try something small. Something easy to contain." Kevin suggested, not sounding entirely on board with the whole plan.

"Like what?" Elroy asked, with rare innocent curiosity.

"Well we can probably find some bugs around here-" Arnold started, trying to list off what they could find around the house. He thought of the small spiders in the bathrooms, and the occasional roly poly or ant crawling around the floors.

Poptarts made a face. "Ew, no."

"What's wrong with bugs? Sure they're kinda…" Arnold trailed off, after thinking it over. "Well it'd be easy to find, they're everywhere. I don't have any pets."

"Arnold does have a point, we could use bugs in the future." Connor agreed, thinking it over.

The pastry boy paled at the thought. "Connor, you're not going to make me-?"

"Not for your first morph, I think we should go for something bigger. Something we're not going to lose." Connor assured his friend. Poptarts relaxed visibly, although still very unnerved.

Arnold rummaged around in his head for anything else.

"What about the Andalite?" He asked, finally. Arnold did have another idea, one more animal he could think of. He wasn't sure they'd be able to catch it without drawing attention, or if they were even there at all.

A hushed silence fell upon the kitchen. No doubt they were remembering the events of the night before. Their faces were a mix of fear, of anger and sadness. Even Elroy the tough guy seemed shaken by Mafala's death. His last cry of fear and despair was a mark upon their consciousness.

"No, not today. Perhaps...perhaps later." Connor answered, softly shooting down the suggestion.

"In that case, there is one other animal I've been thinking about. I'll need help getting it though. It might not even be there."

"What is it?" Poptarts asked, sitting up straighter. Was it because of hope or because he noticed his posture was bad?

"It's some kind of bird. A dove, I think."


End file.
